About the Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners

The Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners was created in 1931 by an act of the State Legislature. Its mission is to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of Tennesseans by requiring those who practice the profession of podiatry within this state be qualified. The Board interprets the laws, rules, and regulations to determine the appropriate standards of practice in an effort to ensure the highest degree of professional conduct. The Board is authorized to issue a license to qualified applicants who have completed appropriate education and successfully completed required examinations. The Board is responsible for the investigation of alleged violations of the Practice Act and rules and is responsible for the discipline of licensees who are found guilty of such violations.

Podiatrists may be licensed by either examination or endorsement from other states.

The administrative staff of the Division of Health Related Boards supports the Board by issuing licenses to those who meet the requirements of the law and rules. Renewal notices are mailed from Board’s administrative office forty-five (45) days prior to the expiration of the license to the current address on record. Licenses can be renewed on-line one hundred twenty (120) days prior to expiration at https://apps.tn.gov/hlrs/loginProfessional.jsp. Licensees are responsible for renewing their licenses on time and keeping the Registrar apprised of current information. It is a violation of the law and of the registrar’s rules to practice on an expired license.

The Board meets at least twice each year for purposes of conducting administrative business concerning ratifying licenses, promulgating rules, disciplinary matters, etc. The five (5) Board members are appointed by the Governor and serve three (3) year terms. A quorum of three (3) members is required to conduct business. The meetings are open to the public.

Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes

Copies of all minutes are maintained in the official record section of the administrative office. Please contact the board administrator to make arrangements to review minutes of meetings held prior to 2004.

Tennessee Code Annotated Title 63 Chapter 51 requires the following information to be reported to the Board for dissemination to the public on practitioner profiles:

The location of the licensee's primary practice setting;

A description of any criminal convictions for felonies and, as determined by the board, serious misdemeanors, within the most recent ten (10) years. For the purposes of this subsection (a), a person shall be deemed to be convicted of a crime if such person was found or adjudged guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. Misdemeanor convictions later expunged by a court of competent jurisdiction shall be stricken from the provider's profile;

A description of any final board disciplinary actions within the most recent ten (10) years, which actions shall include final board action as defined by § 4-5-314, and reprimand action taken pursuant to a board practice act;

A description of any final disciplinary actions of licensing boards in other states within the most recent ten (10) years;

A description of revocation or involuntary restrictions of hospital privileges for reasons related to competence or character that has been taken by the hospital’s governing body or any other official action of the hospital after procedural due process has been afforded, or the resignation from or nonrenewal of medical staff membership or the restriction orf privileges as a hospital taken in lieu of or in settlement or a pending disciplinary case related to competence or character in that hospital, all as taken pursuant to procedures promulgated by the board for licensing health care facilities. Only cases that have occurred within the most recent ten (10) years shall be disclosed by the department to the public;

All medical malpractice court judgments, all medical malpractice arbitration awards in which a payment is awarded to a complaining party and all settlements of medical malpractice claims in which a payment is made to a complaining party beginning with reports for 1998 and each subsequent year; provided, such reports shall not be disseminated beyond the most recent ten-year period, but shall include the most recent ten-year period for which reports have been filed. Each provider licensing board shall set by rule adopted pursuant to the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, a threshold amount below which judgments or settlements shall not be reportable; provided, such threshold shall, for chapter 6 or 9 of this title licensees, be set at seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000), for doctors of chiropractic, regulated pursuant to chapter 4 of this title, be set at fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), for dentists, regulated pursuant to chapter 5 of this title, be set at twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), and for all other licensees under this title be set at ten thousand dollars ($10,000). Dispositions of paid claims shall be reported in a minimum of three (3) graduated categories indicating the level of significance of the award or settlement. Information concerning paid medical malpractice claims shall be put in context by comparing an individual licensee's medical malpractice judgment awards and settlements to the experience of other providers within the same specialty. Information concerning the existence of a court-sealed settlement shall be reported in cases involving such a settlement. Information concerning all settlements shall be accompanied by the following statement: “Settlement of a claim may occur for a variety of reasons which do not necessarily reflect negatively on the professional competence or conduct of the provider. A payment in settlement of a medical malpractice action or claim should not be construed as creating a presumption that medical malpractice has occurred.” (Pending malpractice claims shall not be disclosed by a board to the public.);

Names of medical schools or professional and training schools and dates of graduation;

Graduate medical education or other graduate-level training;

Specialty board certification as determined by the relevant board;

Names of the hospitals where the licensee has privileges;

The location of the licensee's primary practice setting;

The identification of any translating services that may be available at the licensee's primary practice location;

An indication of which managed care plans in which the licensee participates;

An indication of TennCare plans in which the licensee participates;

Appointments to medical school faculties and indication as to whether a licensee has a responsibility for graduate medical education within the most recent ten (10) years; (optional)